Tallgrass prairie was once common in the midwest and southeast but is now one of the nations and arkansas rarest community types as a result of centuries of conversion to agricultural use and urban…

This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program (CFDA 15.631) provides $150,000 in funding to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, a non-profit organization. The project aims to restore and enhance prairies, woodlands, glades, and aquatic habitats in Arkansas and Louisiana. Key activities include reintroducing fire to fire-dependent habitats, converting pastures to native prairie, opening woodland canopies, and reducing invasive species and woody encroachment. These efforts will benefit numerous imperiled plant and animal species by improving habitat quality, connectivity, and resilience on private and public lands. The 5-year project period runs from January 15, 2024 through January 14, 2029.

Tallgrass prairie was once common in the midwest and southeast but is now one of the nations and arkansas rarest community types as a result of centuries of conversion to agricultural use and urban development. Along with prairies that historically experienced frequent fire return intervals, arkansas woodlands (pine-dominated and hardwood-dominated) were characterized by a relatively open overstory with a diverse herbaceous understory that supported hundreds of species of flora and fauna. Glades, characterized by poor soils and bedrock close to the surface, were also a unique and important habitat type scattered amidst arkansas prairies and woodlands. Currently, prairies, woodlands, and glades are facing similar threats which include fire suppression, invasive species, woody encroachment, and the mesophication of woodlands transitioning to closed-canopy systems with more fire-intolerant species. These changes have led to the decline and proposed listing of many grassland-dependent species, including pollinators. In arkansas, 41 of state imperiled species require fire-dependent plant communities. This project will aim to RE-introduce fire, convert pasture to native prairie, open the canopy in woodlands to promote a native herbaceous understory, and reduce woody encroachment and invasive species in prairies and glades.